The Guardian and Observer charity partner’s outreach service is helping families caught up in the cost of living crisis
Aadhila*, who is in her 40s, sees the effects of the cost of living crisis the most in her weekly food shop. “I feel it the most with food, because we’ve tried the process of not buying branded food, but even then the cost is still high,” she says. “I can use less heating, put more socks on and switch off more lights or only heat two rooms … but for food I’m not sure what else you can reduce. I said to my sister, ‘Do we just fast?’”
One of her two children is autistic, and Aadhila has come to Citizens Advice for help renewing her disability benefits and applying for a grant from Family Fund, a charity providing grants for families bringing up disabled children. But rather than having to travel halfway across Tower Hamlets to visit the Citizens Advice East End office, and join the long queue there for an appointment, Aadhila is able to arrange to speak quickly and easily to one of their advisers based at Marner primary school, where she drops her children off.
